Gertrude of Babenberg, Duchess of Bohemia

Who was Gertrude of Babenberg, Duchess of Bohemia?

Gertrude of Babenberg was the first wife of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and a Duchess of Bohemia. She was the daughter of count Leopold III, Margrave of Austria, and his wife Agnes of Germany.

Gertrude married the Duke of Bohemia in 1140. Through her mother, she was a half-sister of Conrad III of Germany, thus a good catch for Vladislaus. At the time of siege of Prague by Conrad II of Znojmo, she successfully defended Prague Castle with the help of her brother-in-law Děpold while Vladislaus sought assistance from Conrad III of Germany.

She participated in projects of her husband Vladislaus to found new religious institutions and due to her encouragement, the duke invited foreign religious orders to establish themselves in Bohemia. She gave birth to four children and died in 1150 at the age of 30 in Prague.